Vacuum-valve mechanism.



G. STICKLE.

VACUUM VALVE MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED mm1, 1910.

1,15,596. Patented Jan. 23,1912.

IVITNESES: LVVENTOR.

, W Cul@ STiclXle.

ATTORNEY.

'narran srarns rrrrnivr orrrcn COLE STICKLE; OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, .ASSIGNOR TO OPEN COIL HEATER .AND PUB'IFIER CO., OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION.

VACUUM-VALVE MECHANISIVI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

)Patented Jar.. 23, www.

Application'led December 1, 1910. Serial No. 595,138.

valve mechanism for steam heaters, radiators and the like by providing a by-pass :t'or the air andcondensationwater to escape be- Iore the steam enters the device, which bypass is closed by an expansion plug" or ther-Y mal valve influenced by the heat of the steam when it enters the construction. llllhilejthe device is cold,y the hy-passpor port open7 because of the construction of the expansion plug and then the cold air and water can escape directly until the steam strikes the exoansion pluv* and causes 1t to expand and close said by-pass. llh'is and the other features ot the invention will be understoodl from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

In the drawings 1Figure '1 is a plan view ofthe device with a steam supply pipe partly broken away.. Fig. f2 'is a central vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l and showing the parts in position before steam enters the device. Fig. 8 is a similar section with the intermediate parts broken away and showing; the position of the parts after steam has entered the. device. p

l is a cup shaped vessel with a top plate ll secured thereon and said plate hasv a central opening 3l into which what may be termed a valve casing l2 screwed.

l5 is an inlet trom the steam radiator or nther steam lilled device. l

1G is an outlet to the exhaust device, not Said outlet lo is secured to the e casing l2 by a union 17.

inthe vessel l0 there is a bucket 2() which is open at its upper end and constitutes a' lioat. as wgill hereafter inapear.`- The upper end ot the lloat surrounds guide arms 2l extending downward irom the top ll. T he float extends above the inlet opening;l l5. The chamber between the -tloat 20 and vessel 1G. ills with condensation Water soon after the device is started and ordinarily the water stands in that chamber up to the top ot the float and flows into the float.-

A tube 50 extends down from the top 1l in line with a central opening` 3l through said top nearly to the bot-tom of the float and it has cross bars in it for a valve `stem 33 ot a valve 34 secured on the upper end of the stem. The lower end of the stem is secured by the bottom of the float.l The arrangement is such that when the .outer chamber is full of water, the float will be maintained in its upper position, as shown .in Fig. il, and will cause the valve 34 to close the outlet port through the plug or valve seat 36 which is secured in the upper part ot' the valve casing 12. The valve 34 has a V-shaped groove 37 cut obliquely in its upper end so that when the valve is in a closed position, there will be a permanent, but reduced outlet.

vThere is in the top ll a port 40 leading.;` to the chamber 3l from a cylindrical chamber 4l.y The outer end ot' this chamber is internally threaded to receive a screw nut 42 which carries a thermal valve 43 made of hard rubber or other material which eX- tends and contracts quickly when influenced by heat or cold. Al cap elli-closes theouter end of the chamber all. A port l5 leads to the chamber #il from the upper part. ot the main chamber l0. rllhe're is a ball check valve 4G in an enlarged portion ot the port 35 which closes the reducedportion thereof against hack pressure-or moveu'ient of the fluid; said ball valve Held 'from escape upwardly by a dcross wire A lue; a? pro-' jects upwardly from the insideof the bottom of the chamller l0 and supports lthe v float 2O within its lower portion.

The' operation ot the device ashtollows: Assume it to be connected with one or more steam radiators. starts it first draws the air ,out ot the radiator the same making a short circuit; from the upper part o'l.I the chamber l0 through the port l5, chamber Lll, port 40.

chamber 31 and out vthrough the port ,106

and outlet- 16.' This will let out once. and directly the cold air and alsocold water 'will pass through it, Vbut when the stt-2am reaches the thermal valve Ll?, and'expands it to the position in Fig. 3, its passageway through the port 4G is closed and `remains closed as long as the device is in operation and heated.. After the steam enters, condensation'water iows int-o .the ioat rises and fills the tube 30 in addition to closA 110 lli' hen the device exhausting apparatus will draw the water' out ot the iioat through the tube 30 and port 35 .un/til the float rises againarcid causes the valve to close the port. -Thus it appears that with this device there is an immediate and very"rapid discharge, com` paratively, of the cold air through the ports 45 and 40 so that aradiator will operate much more quickly than with a device not equipped as is this device. The passageway 37 and valve 34 will also prevent any escape ci steam because of its small size and because ot its being wate scaled with moisture, When the device 1s cold. and the loat is in its upper position, as shown in Fig. 3,

and the valve 34 is'closed, the thermal valve L3 will he in open posit-ion, as shown in Fig..2, and then the air and gases which pass through the ports 45 and l0 will ps out through the reduced Aoutlet 37 and that ist-he function of said outlet 37. It is made vi-shape and cut in the top yof the valve so that it will not be liable to ill with sediment when the valve is closed, and when the valve opens the sediment, if any has collected, will be immediately cleared out by the discharge of water. l

claim as my invention:

l. A vacuum valve mechanism for steam heaters and the like including a condensation chamber, an 'open-top bucket float therein, a conduit extending up through said float and the top of said chamber from a point nearv the bottom of said float so that the lower end of said conduit` may` be water sealed, a valveor controlling the outlet from the upper end. of said conduit, a passageway leading from the top of said con-- y densation chamber at a point over said float to said conduit at a point below said valve, and a thermal valve tor controlling said last-mentioned passageway and arranffed so that saidv passageway will be opened etere steam enters the device and .will be closed while the device is heated.

2. A vacuum valve mechanism tor steam heaters and the like includin a condensation chamber, arbucket float 1n said chamber, an outlet conduit extending from near the bottom et said bucket float to an outlet l above chamber, a valve for controlling the .:tlet from said conduit and which is connected will; float, passageway i'rom the upper part ot said chamber to said conduit at a point above the bro tioat and below the valve in said condi i., and a thermal valve for controlling said chamber whereby said pasM segovia v will be opened before steam enters the device and will be closed while the. de lvice is heated.

E. ai vaciuuu mechanism for steam heaters and the like including a condensatim chamber, :i removable top therefor vith t Acentral opening, a valve chamber secured to said top and containing an outlet port, u, bucket float in said condensation chamber, a tube extending from the opening through the top to a point near the bottom oi"I said ioat, guides secured to said tube, avalvc stem secured to the 'float and extending up through said tube and guides, a valve on the upper end of said stem for closing the outlet port, a thermal valve, a thermal valve chamber in said top which is threaded, a nut which screws into the threaded portion ot said chamber for carrying and adjusting the thermal valve, a port leading, from the upper part ot the condensation chamber to the thermal valve chamber, and a .port lead ing from the thermal valve chamber to the outlet conduit below the valve at the upper end thereof and in position to be closed by the thermal yalve when expanded and opened when said valve is contracted.

heaters and the like including a condensation chamber, an outlet conduit leading from the lower part of saliti chamber und provided near its upper and with au outlet port, awalve closing said port on its upper side, a float controlled valve for controlling said outlet on its underside, said valve having V-shaped groove in its upper end -arranged so that when said valve is in closing position therevill be a small outlet passageway throughthe port,y substantially as set forth, another passageway leading from said condensation chamber to said outlet` and a thermal valve for controlling said passageway, whereby ,when said first mentioned valve is closed fandv said thermal 'vulve is opened air will pass through said V-shaped groove. l

In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named.

COLE STICKLE. Witnesses:

VGr. P". BOINK, H. J. WELLS. l

and actuated by said bucket- A vacuum valve mechanism for steam i 

